In episode one of our HR-Miniseries we are talking about what hiring managers actually look for, how to approach resumes and interviews, and realistic ways that students can build experience and momentum as they start their careers.

Nicolas Pretorius is Talent Acquisition Manager at Highliner Foods, one of North America's leading processors of frozen, added-value seafood.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• What hiring managers actually look for on an entry-level resume
• Why soft skills often separate candidates more than technical ones
• How to use the skill bucket resume format with limited experience
• What "culture fit" really means and better questions to ask instead

You might think getting hired is about having the right degree or the right experience.

As Nicolas will show you today, it's really about how you tell your story and the soft skills that most candidates overlook.

If you're a student or new grad figuring out your next move, this one is worth your time.

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Shownotes

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De Lacy Executive Recruitment offers professional recruitment services for employers and candidates in agriculture and food. As a candidate, De Lacy will provide career development advice, career consulting, as well as preparation for interview success. Open communication, confidentiality, and complete transparency are a priority for De Lacy consultants — check out De Lacy Executive Recruitment for more information on exciting opportunities!

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro
00:59 - Nicolas's Role at Highliner
02:37 - Long-Term Talent Planning
04:43 - Highliner's Facilities
05:55 - Nicolas's Career Path
08:06 - Embrace Unexpected Opportunities
09:47 - Casting Nets to the Future
14:45 - What Stands Out on a Resume
17:04 - The Skill Bucket Resume Format
20:41 - Technical vs. Soft Skills
24:42 - Interview Prep Tips
26:05 - What to Wear to an Interview
27:34 - Researching the Company
28:59 - From Co-op to Full-Time
30:49 - Culture Fit vs. Values Alignment
32:50 - Assessing Culture as a Candidate
36:24 - Behavioral Interview Questions
41:35 - Advice for Students Job Hunting Now

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📙 Career Guides
💭 Career Advice

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CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

💼 Nicolas Pretorius LinkedIn

💼 Highliner Foods LinkedIn
🌐 Highliner Foods Website

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Enea Lelaj is a Confectionery Specialist at Tilray Brands, working at the intersection of food science, product development, and one of Canada's fastest‑changing industries.

In this episode of That's a Food Job!, Enea shares how his path into food science was anything but planned. Starting in chemistry at Toronto Metropolitan University, he followed curiosity into a food research lab and discovered a field that combined science, creativity, and real‑world impact.

Today, Enea develops gummies, chocolates, and tablets infused with active cannabinoids. He talks candidly about what real R&D looks like beyond textbooks — balancing regulation, rapid iteration, and problem‑solving in a fast‑moving, highly regulated space. The conversation explores why creativity matters just as much as technical skill, how graduate school prepared him to tackle unsolved problems, and why staying open to unexpected opportunities can lead to surprisingly cool careers.

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ShowNotes

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CareersNOW! is Food and Beverage Ontario's multi‑year workforce development initiative that is connecting students and job seekers with employers in Ontario's food and beverage processing industry for exciting career opportunities. Check out CareersNOW.ca for more information on jobs, career pathways, industry mentors, and professional development opportunities.

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📙 Career Guides
💭 Career Advice

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CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

💼 Enea Lelaj LinkedIn

🌐 Tilray Brands

CONNECT WITH US
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💼 LinkedIn

Domenique Mastronardi is President of Beck's Bone Broth, a Canadian food startup bringing bone broth-based lattes to market — blending comfort, wellness, and innovation for retailers across Canada.

In this episode of That's a Food Job!, Domenique shares her journey from engineering student to co-leading one of Canada's most creative emerging food startups. She opens up about what entrepreneurship really looks like behind the scenes — navigating uncertainty, balancing structure with creativity, and learning to trust your intuition.

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Shownotes

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CareersNOW! is Food and Beverage Ontario's multi-year workforce development initiative that is connecting students and job seekers with employers in Ontario's food and beverage processing industry for exciting career opportunities. Check out CareersNOW.ca for more information on exciting jobs, career information, industry mentors and training opportunities for professional development.

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TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 – Introduction to Startup Life and Entrepreneurship in Food
• 01:27 – A Week in the Life of a Startup President: Strategy, Travel, and Flexibility
• 03:00 – Canadian vs. U.S. Trade Shows: Brand Awareness vs. Direct Selling
• 05:04 – How a Startup President's Role Evolves: Fundraising, Finance, and Networking
• 06:34 – Getting Into Retail: Why Relationships Come Before Strategy
• 09:04 – Navigating Uncertainty: Mindset Tools for Startup Life
• 10:51 – What University Actually Teaches You: Resilience, Teamwork, and Problem Solving
• 12:02 – From Engineering to Entrepreneurship: Transferable Skills That Surprised Her
• 14:14 – [Sponsor: CareersNOW!]
• 15:26 – Finding Your Spark: How Food Product Development Changed Everything
• 18:20 – Listening to Your Intuition: Why Your Hobbies Are Telling You Something
• 21:17 – Book Rec: EOS Traction by Gino Wickman
• 21:53 – Unconventional Marketing: Spice Girls, Karaoke, and Authentic Branding Online
• 26:06 – Vulnerability as a Strength: Building Confidence to Share Your Story
• 27:55 – Career Advice That Doesn't Always Land — and What Actually Works
• 30:30 – Skills and Habits to Build Now If You're Curious About Startups
• 33:39 – How to Test If Entrepreneurship Is Right for You: Incubators, Side Projects, and Startup Jobs
• 35:17 – Getting Co-op Positions at Startups: What You Need to Know
• 36:03 – How to Network Without It Feeling Forced: LinkedIn, Events, and Cold Outreach
• 40:07 – What's Next for Beck's Bone Broth
• 40:53 – Where to Find Beck's Bone Broth

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📙 Career Guides
💭 Career Advice

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CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

💼 Domenique Mastronardi LinkedIn

💼 Beck's Bone Broth LinkedIn

🌐 Beck's Broth Website

📸 Beck's Bone Broth Instagram

CONNECT WITH US
📸 Instagram
🎵 TikTok
💼 LinkedIn

Talha Rashid is a Continuous Improvement Manager at Handi Foods Ltd., a Canadian food manufacturer specializing in crackers and better‑for‑you snack products supplied to major retailers across North America.

In this episode of That's a Food Job!, Talha breaks down what a continuous improvement career looks like in food manufacturing and how data, teamwork, and problem‑solving drive real change on the production floor. He explains how organizations identify inefficiencies, reduce waste, and improve productivity without compromising quality.

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Shownotes

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CareersNOW! is Food and Beverage Ontario's multi-year workforce development initiative that is connecting students and job seekers with employers in Ontario's food and beverage processing industry for exciting career opportunities. Check out CareersNOW.ca for more information on exciting jobs, career information, industry mentors and training opportunities for professional development.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction to Continuous Improvement in Food Manufacturing
02:58 – Understanding Continuous Improvement: Definition and Scope
05:58 – A Day in the Life of a Continuous Improvement Manager
09:00 – The Importance of Data in Continuous Improvement
12:05 – Collaboration Across Departments for Success
14:54 – Skills for Success: Balancing Analytical and People Skills
18:08 – Continuous Learning and Professional Development
21:06 – Lean Six Sigma: Tools for Waste Reduction
23:58 – Applying Lean Principles to Real?World Problems
24:12 – Career Insights for Students in Food and Beverage
25:50 – Showcasing Willingness to Learn in Interviews
29:29 – Understanding Company Culture for Success
33:44 – Essential Skills for Continuous Improvement
39:44 – Journey into Continuous Improvement Careers

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📙 Career Guides
💭 Career Advice

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CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

💼 Talha Rashid LinkedIn

💼 Handi Foods LinkedIn
🌐 Handi Foods Website

CONNECT WITH US
📸 Instagram
🎵 TikTok
💼 LinkedIn

In this special solo episode, Veronica breaks down something that often gets overlooked — what the food and beverage processing industry actually is, and just how many career paths exist within it.

If you've ever stood in a grocery store aisle and wondered how all those products got there, this one's for you!

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CareersNOW! is Food and Beverage Ontario's multi‑year workforce development initiative that is connecting students and job seekers with employers in Ontario's food and beverage processing industry for exciting career opportunities. Check out CareersNOW.ca for more information on jobs, career pathways, industry mentors, and professional development opportunities.

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Timestamps

• 00:00 — What is the food and beverage processing industry? (Hint: it's everything between farm and fork!)
• 02:22 — The 11 subsectors broken down: dairy, meat, confectionery, seafood, beverages, bakery, and more
• 07:08 — Operations deep-dive: production operators, maintenance technicians, and plant supervisors
• 09:27 — Skilled trades and continuous improvement roles
• 11:45 — How automation and robotics are changing operations
• 14:09 — Food safety: quality assurance vs. quality control, and why it matters
• 16:31 — Health and safety managers and systems thinking in food safety
• 18:50 — Sales and marketing: account managers, brand managers, and marketers
• 21:19 — How sales and marketing connect to every other part of the business
• 23:44 — Sponsor spotlight: Careers Now
• 26:10 — Supply chain and logistics: procurement, inventory planning, and logistics coordinators
• 28:35 — Warehouse supervisors and the rise of automation in supply chain
• 31:00 — Food science and R&D: product developers and flavorists
• 33:24 — Behind the scenes: finance, accounting, and human resources
• 35:27 — How HR shapes workplace culture
• 37:42 — Wrapping up: career mobility, job stability, and why the food and beverage industry is a great place to grow

Salma Fotovat is the Co-Founder & Sourcing & Procurement Director at Riverside Natural Foods, Ltd. - Home of MadeGood. They are a Canadian-owned company that specializes in creating healthy, allergy-friendly snacks

She shares her insights on the complexities of product development in the dairy industry. She discusses the importance of collaboration, the challenges of optimizing established products, and the innovative processes involved in launching new products. Pratisha emphasizes the significance of curiosity, human connections, and networking in her career journey, providing valuable advice for aspiring product developers.

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Shownotes: https://foodgrads.com/podcast/Salma-Fotovat

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction
03:15 – What Is a Sourcing and Procurement Career?
07:30 – What This Job Actually Looks Like Day to Day
12:00 – How a Single Ingredient Takes Months to Approve
18:00 – Why "Right Price, Right Place" Is Harder Than It Sounds
22:00 – What Happens When 50% of Your Main Ingredient Disappears
27:00 – How Strong Relationships Saved the Business
31:30 – What Makes a Supplier Actually Want to Work With You
36:00 – How Procurement Can Support Farmers and the Planet
40:30 – The Future of Supply Chain Careers and Sustainability
45:30 – Skills Students Should Start Building Now

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📙 Career Guides: https://foodgrads.com/career-paths-food-and-beverage/
💭 Career Advice: https://foodgrads.com/blog/

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CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

💼 Salma Fotovat LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salmafotovat/
💼 Riverside Natural Foods LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/riverside-natural-foods/
🌐 Riverside Natural Foods Website: https://www.riversidenaturalfoods.com/
📸 MadeGood Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madegoodfoods/

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CONNECT WITH US
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodgrads/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@foodgrads.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foodgrads/

Pratistha Banerjee is a Product Development and Commercialization Manager at Darigold, a global supplier of dairy and specialty food products.

Pratistha shares insights into her role, emphasizing that food product development is not just about flavor but also about functional ingredients, supplier collaboration, and navigating complex operational and regulatory requirements in the dairy industry. She discusses the challenges of optimizing existing products and taking new product ideas from concept to plant launch, as well as what innovation truly means in a large food company. Pratistha highlights the importance of curiosity, problem-solving, and communication in building a successful career.

Throughout the conversation, Pratistha reflects on her journey from early career roles to her current position. She emphasizes adaptability, continuous learning, and the value of building strong relationships with colleagues, suppliers, and operators. For students and aspiring food scientists, Pratistha encourages experimenting, learning from real-world challenges, and understanding the functional and technical aspects of ingredients.

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Shownotes

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TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) What Food Product Development Really Is and Isn't
(02:10) How Pratistha Got Into Product Development
(05:00) What a Product Development Manager Does Day to Day
(08:40) How Food Products Go from Idea to Launch
(12:30) Why Food Product Ideas Fail at Scale
(17:00) Theory vs Reality in Food Product Development
(21:30) Working With Plants, Suppliers, and Operations
(26:10) What Innovation Actually Means in the Food Industry
(31:00) How Product Developers Solve Complex Problems
(36:20) Choosing Between Food Industry Career Paths
(41:30) Networking Advice for Introverted Students
(47:40) What Students Should Start Doing Now

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📙 Career Guides
💭 Career Advice

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CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

💼 Pratistha Banerjee LinkedIn
🌐 Darigold Website
💼 Darigold LinkedIn
📸 Darigold Instagram
🐦 Darigold X (Twitter)

CONNECT WITH US
🐦 X
📸 Instagram
🎵 TikTok
💼 LinkedIn

What does a Product Development Specialist actually do in meat manufacturing?

Leslie Herbas Marañon is a Product Development Specialist at Ascona Food Group, a global supplier of customized dry blends, edible films, and casings for the meat industry. With over 10 years across production, quality management, and R&D in Bolivia and Canada, she brings a hands-on, formulation-first approach to every project.

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Shownotes: https://foodgrads.com/podcast/Leslie-Herbas

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Explore food industry careers with CareersNOW!: https://careersnow.ca/

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CareersNOW! is Food and Beverage Ontario's multi-year workforce development initiative that is connecting students and job seekers with employers in Ontario's food and beverage processing industry for exciting career opportunities. Check out CareersNOW.ca for more information on exciting jobs, career information, industry mentors and training opportunities for professional development.

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TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Introduction to Food Product Development and Problem-Solving
(01:05) What a Product Development Specialist Does at Ascona
(03:10) Customizing Dry Blends, Edible Films, and Casings
(05:13) From Bench-Top Formulation to Plant Trials
(07:07) What Documentation Means in Product Development
(10:34) Regulatory and Administrative Work in the Meat Industry
(15:57) Building Confidence Through Experience and Failure
(18:09) Managing Multiple Projects and Scaling Up
(23:07) Practicing Product Development Skills at Home
(29:56) Career Path from Production to Product Development
(37:38) Why Problem-Solving Starts with Planning
(43:27) Learning from Production Teams and Operators

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CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
📙 Career Guides: https://foodgrads.com/career-paths-food-and-beverage/
💭 Career Advice: https://foodgrads.com/blog/

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CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

💼 Leslie Herbas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-herbas-mara%C3%B1on-18507579/
🌐 Ascona Food Group Website: https://www.asconafoods.com/
💼 Ascona Food Group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascona-foods-group/

CONNECT WITH US
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodgrads/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@foodgrads.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foodgrads/